Worried About Mtv`s Fate? Then Set Those Fears Aside

The video music cable channel, recently sold to Viacom International, now boasts more than 250 advertisers, up from 100 in 1982.

From a first-year total in 1981 of 2.5 million homes, MTV now reaches 27.5 million homes in cable systems across the country.

Which is not to say that MTV and, more precisely, music video--a mongrel art form that previously filled the cracks in cable programming--will keep going up forever.

The question of how much video shows should pay for clips (It seems certain now that the era of free clips from record companies has ended.) is confronting the industry with tough economic decisions. In addition, there are the questions raised by women, blacks and other minority groups about the subject matter.

Still, it is hard to deny that MTV has been a major catalyst in the music video boom, an explosion that has seen the genre exploited successfully on network TV, basic cable, premium cable (Home Box Office, Showtime) and home video (Sony, Warner Music Video).

When MTV went on the air Aug. 1, 1981, rock music was the leader in video clip production after MTV studies began to show that its viewers did buy more records. Within a year, several companies created video departments and virtually every band was making a video to accompany a single.

Since then, rock music has continued to turn out clips at a dizzying pace while other musical forms lagged well behind. But now, country music acts and black acts are starting to catch up in terms of quantity and quality of video production.

Rock programming also has become more plentiful, with the addition of Friday Night Videos (NBC), ABC Rocks, Night Tracks (WTBS-Atlanta) and shows from hundreds of local and regional music video stations.

In addition, music video is becoming a staple on Home Box Office and Showtime, which has broadcast concerts by superstars such as David Bowie, Huey Lewis and the News, Tina Turner and Prince.

Finally, music video is beginning to experience success in the home video market, where certain concert tapes are big sellers. Prince`s ``Purple Rain,`` Lionel Richie`s ``All Night Long`` and ``We Are The World--The Video Event``

all have achieved platinum (sales of more than 100,000) status. Recently, 6 of the Top 20 videocassettes on Billboard`s magazine sales charts were music videos.

In June, CBS Records became the first company to demand payment from video shows for the use of videos. Last week, Warner Bros. Records became the second. Many video shows countered by deciding to boycott CBS videos. CBS, faced with mounting video production costs, went ahead with its plan.

``The number of stations that were going to drop CBS clips was significantly less than the original estimates when (stations) found out CBS was willing to negotiate,`` said Mitchell Rowan, publisher of CVC Video Report.

``But there are still a number who have not come to terms. The Warner decision is not getting as much response as CBS, primarily because the plan they`re talking about involves less money.``

Music video faces challenges from women, blacks and minorities who believe they are being misrepresented and abused in video clips. How bad is the problem?

Barry Sherman is an associate professor of journalism, radio and television at the University of Georgia in Athens. He recently completed a study called Guns, Sex and Rock `n` Roll: A Content Analysis of Music Television.

``We found, by and large, that the videos are sexier than they are violent, but the sex was more of the adolescent nature, what I like to call Porky`s sex. . .a lot of suggestiveness, voyeurism--attracti ve women preening and cavorting,`` Sherman said.

Sherman hasn`t done a study of the effect of videos, but he said ``it`s not rotting (viewers`) brains. Maybe long-term it would, but it`s only been five years.``